Lampshades



H. BYER LAMPSHADES April 12, 1966 Filed Sept. 25, 1962 United States Patent 3,246,139 LAMPSHADES Harry Byer, 6888 Lemieux St, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Filed Sept. 25, 1962, Ser. No. 226,068 1 Claim. (Cl. 240-108) The invention relates to improvements in lampshades, as described in the present specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings that form part of the same.

The objects of the invention are to provide an attractive lampshade which will be easy to pack and ship, because of detachable parts which may be nested, such parts being very readily assembled, of extremely durable construction yet low in production cost, a lampshade that can be washed in its entirety and which allows for interchangeable surface effects for decorative purposes.

The invention consists essentially in moulded sections provided with male and female parts for ready and secure assembly into a complete lampshade without the use of adhesives, stitching, structural wiring etc. or any auxiliary parts such as has been the custom heretofore.

We are concerned here particularly with the style of lampshades known as Ballerinas, which generally consist of a substantially circular tapered basic structure with vertical flutes or ribs formed around the wall thereof, which flutes narrow and vanish towards the top end of the lampshade. A skirt overlay is usually placed over this basic structure and a tapered neck portion, usually of a stiffened lace or net fabric, is fixedly attached at the narrowed upper portion of the basic foundation or main body. In the past such Ballerina lampshade foundations have been made by cutting flat discs with a central orifice, then fixedly attaching a wire ring around the outer circumference of the horizontal disc and another smaller ring around the central orifice, after which the flat disc is distorted in a special forming press with arms that form the flutes, until the disc assumes a vertical position by reason of the flutes or ribs thus developed. The overskirt and fancy tapered cylindrical neck are then secured to the main basic foundation thus formed, by gluing and other adhesives, or by stitching, a wire clip having been first attached. The objections to this type of production are that it involves much hand labour, it is impossible to pack the finished article by nesting because of the integral neck and clip projections. The material used on the foundation is necessarily of a type which will take the shaping pressure without breaking. Such material is very sensitive to variations in temperature and, being rigidly aflixed to a wire ring, expansion and contraction bring about a checking or cracking of the material. This cracking or splitting of the foundation material has been one of the most vexatious problems connected with this type of lampshade production, although damage in transport, due to the integral clip and neck portions, is another very expensive item that the producers of Ballerina lampshades have to encounter.

All of these objectionable features have been eliminated by the present invention which I will now proceed to describe in detail.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the lampshade foundation, showing the neck portion attached according to my invention.

FIGURE 2 is a sectional detail, broken away, showing a preferred manner of finishing the lower rim or outer periphery of the lampshade foundation.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional perspective detail, broken away, showing a manner of affixing the clip and neck to the main foundation of a lampshade.

FIGURE 4 is a sectional perspective view, broken away, showing a modified form of the clip and neck attachment.

FIGURE 5 shows a preferable form of clip to be used with this invention.

Like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in each figure.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents the main foundation body with the neck 2 removably secured in the channel 3, formed on the collar 4 which is made integral on the foundation or main body 1.

A bead or projection 5 is formed around the lower circumference of the neck 2. This bead is adapted to snap into the channel 3 on the main body 1 and be securely, though detachably, retained therein. The neck 2 is preferably molded with a filigree or perforated lacelike pattern 6 around its wall.

A conventional clip 7 is shown, having a slightly flexible ring 8 and clamping arms 9 forming part thereof.

A reinforcing and decorative edge 10 is shown around the lower rim of the main body 1.

Ribs or flutes 11 are moulded with the main body 1 to form a series of tapered indentations and elevations on the wall thereof radiating from the collar 4.

In practice the neck and the main body of the lampshade are moulded, preferably of a slightly flexible plastic material, when the beaded edge 10, the flutes 11 and the collar 4 with the channel 3 are formed. The neck 2, with the lace-pattern and the bead 5 are of course moulded separately, that is, apart from the main body formation.

Generally speaking Ballerina lampshades are provided with an over-skirt to lend variety and colour effect. A circular skirt is cut, with a central opening which will not slip over the flaring main body 1 after being placed there at the juncture of the neck 2 and being draped gracefully over the flutes 11 to end at, or just beyond, the edge 10. With the present invention such over-skirts may be readily removed or replaced, because of the detachable clip and neck arrangement. It will be noted that a detachable neck portion is essential to such an operation, since the suspending skirt opening is always smaller than the top of the slightly tapered neck portion, for proper positioning on the base 1. After placing the over-skirt in position the head 5 on the neck 2 is forced into the channel 3, the ring 8 of the clip 7 having already been mounted. No difliculty is encountered here as the basic moulded material is sufficiently flexible to accommodate such fitting and securely retain all the parts in their proper places. Bosses and indentations may, of course, be moulded in the neck and shade foundation if desired, or other suitable locking means employed, but

the inventor has found this quite unnecessary as the union between neck and shade foundation can be made sufficiently tight, even though detachable, as to preclude the need for any other locking requirement.

It has also been found that, by removing the clip 7 the lampshade may be used as a shield or reflector on a lamp chimney by threading the chimney through the top opening, when it will assume a position on a tapered lamp chimney at that point of contact when the chimney enlargement will permit no further passage in a downward direction. Many other adaptations for this lampshade will be obvious once the removable neck and clip feature is appreciated, as it goes without saying that the moulding can be accomplished in any number of coloured materials.

In the modified view, shown in FIGURE 4 the arrangement shows the neck 2 being mounted on the body 1', from the outside, instead of from the inside as shown in FIGURE 3, but the function is practically the same, the head 5', now moulded on the inside of the neck 2, being sprung into, a channel 3 which. facesthe outside, rather than the inside on the top of the main body 1'.

It is obvious that, when a plurality of the detached necks are nested, and a number of the main foundation bodies 1 are nested separately, and the clips also separated and nested, great economyin shipping'space'can be effected, as well as assuring much greater security in transport. This nesting could not be accomplished if the component parts of the lampshade were not detachable and readily assembled.

It will also be understood that the main body 1 or 1 may be decorated with an imprint, orit may be moulded with an embossed or any other pattern, should it be desired .to eliminate the auxiliary over-skirt now in use, and yet retain a decorative effect.

With the old manufacturing methodthe st'iifened lace fabric of the neck had to be reinforced with top and bottom 'wire rings to retain shape, the top jring being the 'clip ring, and the clamping arms of same showed through the open-work perforations of the neck ,portion'where they projected downwardly through said neck. 'With-the present invention no reinforcing wire rings are required and the clip is invisibly mounted behind the main foundation wall.

What I claim as myin've'ntio'n' is:

A lampshade comprising a main body of resilient plastice material having a generally circular-openibottom and an upwardly tapering fiutedwall terminating in a generally circular open top defined by a radially inwardly opening channel, said channel being defined by upper and lower flanges, a clip fitting including a wire ring received in said channel and disposed against the lower flange thereof, a generally cylindrical neck of resilient plastic material, said neck having a radially outwardly projecting continuous bead on the lower end thereof, said head being disposed in said channel in overlying engagement with the ring, said ring and bead substantially filling the channel thereby retaining the ring in the channel and the neck mounted on the main body, said bead andneckbeing flexible for enabling-inward deflection thereof at any point ontthe circumference to reducethe perimeter of the bead when it is to be inserted into the channel.

References Cited bythe Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,664,262 3/1928 Powers 240132 1,998,769 4/1935 Partridge 240108 2,321,288 6/1943 Finkel 240-108 FOREIGN T PATENTS 984,027 2/1951 France. 1,119,796 12/1961 Germany.

, 584,715 1 1947 Great Britain.

NORTON ANSHER, Primary Examiner. 

